MARTA opening first bicycle repair kiosk at Lindbergh station Tuesday

MARTA will open the first of seven self-service, Dero bicycle repair kiosks at rail stations across the system Tuesday (Aug. 31) during a ceremony at 9:30 a.m. at the Lindbergh Center station, allowing cyclists to make routine bicycle repairs at each kiosk.

Photo shows one of the new bike repair kiosks.

Representatives from the MARTA board of directors, Atlanta Bicycle Coalition and MailChimp will participate in opening the first of the kiosks, each of which are equipped with the necessary tools for bike maintenance and repair, from tightening handlebars to pumping a flat tire.

The other kiosks will be located at the Chamblee, East Point, Edgewood/Candler, Five Points, North Avenue and West End stations and will open in the coming weeks, said Saba Long, a MARTA spokeswoman.

Last fall, the transit agency participated in Trick Out My Trip, a 48-hour crowdsourcing campaign. With $2,000 in matching funds from the Transit Center, MARTA quickly raised more than $4,000 to fund bike repair kiosks from board members, staff and customers. Atlanta-based Lanier Parking contributed $1,200 to purchase a kiosk.

“Improving and encouraging cycling as an alternative transportation option in addition to public transit is important,” MARTA General Manager and CEO Keith T. Parker said. “We’re excited to see business and civic leaders help us bring this amenity to our customers.”

MailChimp, an Atlanta-based email marketing service provider, pitched in another $4,000 to bring the total fundraising haul to more than $8,000. MARTA partnered with the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition, a bike advocacy and rider education organization, to initiate the campaign and identify locations for the repair kiosks.

“This is a small but important step in making MARTA stations multi-modal, which will result in encouraging alternative transportation options,” said Glenn Kurtz, the coalition’s board chairman and an executive at Lanier Parking.